US steps up pressure on Greenland with vice president's trip

BarcelonaThe United States' fixation on Greenland has both Nuuk and Copenhagen on high alert. This week, a new cause for concern emerged: a trip by US Vice President JD Vance to the Arctic island, which is being interpreted as further pressure being exerted by Donald Trump, who insists on the need to take control of this autonomous territory from Denmark.

The initial plan was for the trip to be made by the vice president's wife, Usha Vance, to attend a sled dog race and visit historical and cultural sites on the island. In Washington, it was billed as a private visit, although in Greenland and Denmark, it was not interpreted that way, given the context. Furthermore, the White House confirmed that National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright would also be attending, further casting doubt on the private and cultural nature of the visit. Greenland, located in an increasingly strategic area for global geopolitics, is rich in critical minerals such as rare earths, and Donald Trump already showed interest in it during his first term, but has now redoubled the pressure.

After the displeasure expressed by Greenlanders and Danes over Usha Vance's trip, Washington changed its plans. The vice president announced that he would also be going: "There is so much enthusiasm for Usha's visit to Greenland this Friday that I have decided I don't want her to have all the fun, so I will be joining her," said Trump's number two in a video shared on the X network, which has in fact proven to be a step back. The reason is that Usha Vance has canceled the initial plans, which were seen as an attempt to pressure the island's population, and the visit will be limited to the Pituffik military base – formerly known as Thule – owned by the United States. And, finally, neither Waltz will go –surrounded by controversy over the leak of confidential information in a Signal chat– nor Wright.

"I'm going to visit some of our Space Force guardians on the northwest coast of Greenland and also check on Greenland's security," Vance said in the video, echoing Trump's message of recent months: Greenland "is important to protecting the security of the entire world" and "the United States and Denmark.

Trump claimed that the visit was based on an invitation from Greenland. "They've invited us, and they really like the idea because for so long they've been ignored," Trump told reporters on Monday. However, the Greenlandic government made it clear in a statement that it has not sent any invitation for any official or private visit. Greenland's acting regional president, Múte B. Egede, called Usha Vance's visit "aggressive." in the midst of negotiations to form a government.

"Hidden Threat"

From Copenhagen, the announcement of the visit by Usha Vance, Waltz, and Wright was also seen as a provocation. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "unacceptable pressure" from the United States. This Wednesday, Trump reiterated his usual message: "We need Greenland for national security and international security. So, we will go as far as we have to go."

This Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called these statements "violent" and a "hidden threat." "I think it's going too far, both in terms of interference in Greenland and disrespect for the Greenlandic people," he said on public broadcaster TV2.

Meanwhile, Frederiksen posted on Facebook applauding the Greenlanders' response to Trump's "pressure": "The attention is overwhelming and the pressure is great, but it's in moments like these that he shows what he's made of." She added: "He hasn't been intimidated. He has stood up for who you are and shown what you stand for. This deserves my deepest respect."

Risk of protests

"I think it's very positive that the Americans have canceled their visit to the Greenlandic society. Instead, they will visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on Thursday, calling the White House's change of plans a sign of dissatisfaction.

According to polls, virtually all Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States, and a recent meeting has been held demonstrations against Trump's intentions, with banners with slogans like Yankees go home and Make America go away.

The newspaper's political analyst Jyllands-Posten Niels Th. Dahl believes the White House decided to change plans because there was a risk of revealing the Greenlanders' rejection. "This dog sled race could have ended in a major disaster. There could have been demonstrations and protests. Greenlandic politicians have said from the outset that they did not want this visit," he says.

"The big difference is that they have no contact at all with Greenlandic society. They land in the desolate northwest of Greenland. We won't have scenes like when Donald Trump's son landed in Nuuk in January and handed out red caps," explains the analyst. Nevertheless, he considers this episode "a hydration break during a marathon" because Trump's aggressive plans to gain control of the island are still alive.